Harness



Feb. 16, 1932. A. w. GODFR'EY HARNESS Filed Aug. 5, 1929 Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARNESS Application filed August 5, 1929.

This invention relates to harnesses, and with regard to certain more specific features to rubber harnesses for horses and other animals.

Among the several objects of the invention may he noted the provision of a harness composed preferably of fabric rubber; the provision of a harness of the class described which is water-proof, rust-proof, requiring no oiling and which is of great tensile strength throughout; the provision of a harness of the class described which may have component parts made of indefinite length in one homogeneous piece, particularly such parts as the traces and reins and blinders; the provision of a device of the class described which will admit of vulcanizing certain portions so that ripping of stitches and the like is eliminated and the provision of a device of this class of harness which is adaptcd to be manufactured more economically with a consequent saving to the purchaser. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodimerits of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the harness applied to a horse;

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, illustrating a part of the construction; and,

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 illust 'ating another part of the construction.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1,

- there illiistrated at numeral 1, an animal Serial No. 383,443.

crown piece 11, front pieces 13, the blinders 15, cheek piece 33 and the throat latch 17, said parts being flexible.

he breast harness 5 includes the ordinary collar with traces or tugs 19, the latter being flexible.

The body harness 7 includes parts such as the saddle piece 21, breeching and hip strap 23, and the other flexible parts.

One of the primary features of this invention is that the parts above-named and other parts cooperating therewith excluding the collar, are substantially made of rubber, preferably fabric rubber, as distin uished from leather or the cord type of rubber. I obtain the rubber in sheet form in the desired color and manufacture the harness therefrom, and if desirable, the color may be such as to resemble leather in appearance. I sew the parts where it is profitable and safe to do so. Certain scams which tend to rip and tear in service are sewn and/or vulcanized preferably the latter. In Fig. 2, which shows a cross section of a blinder, for instance, I bend a sheet of rubber over upon itself and vulcanize it at the surface 25. I11 leather blinders a thin piece of iron is used between the two pieces of leather, which are stitched around the edges to hold said iron piece in place. There is a tendency for this stitching to rip, thus exposing the iron piece and causing an ugly appearance as well. as unsatisfactory blinders. By the present invention, the iron piece,

stitching and any ripping tendency is eliminated.

The front pieces 13 are attached to the blinders 15 by inserting said pieces into a recess 27 left between the sheets forming the blinder and subsequently stitching for a short distance as shown at numeral 29 in Fig. 1, in order to fasten the front pieces in place. The blinders 15 are similarly stitched to the cheek pieces 33, as illustrated at numeral 38. Stitching is used in these instances in preference to vulcanizing, inasmuch asthere is no tendency for this joining to rip open in service operation.

It will be understood that the rubber fabric is folded in places, in order to permit the application of buckles and similar fastening devices illustrated in the drawings. hese buckles, however, are only such as are used for loop-ing the reins, traces and the like upon themselves so as to vary their length to suit different harnessings, or for making ordinary fastenings.

In Fig. 3 is shown the homogeneous construction of the piece forming the reins 9. In this connection it should be noted that reins such as 9 and traces or tugs 19 must sometimes be formed in rather long lengths where a plurality of horses are being driven in tandem teams and the like. lVhen leather was used for the harness, it was necessary to fasten several lengths together in order to form a proper length for the reins 9 or the traces 19. This was because the skin from an animal provides only a predetermined length of leather. with the present rubber construction, asingle homogeneous length of fabric rubber may be used without including any breaks or fastenings such as gluing joints, stitching or the like.

Other advantages are that this harness may be manufactured at a fraction of the cost of a leather harness. Furthermore, no oiling of the harness is required as is the case with a leather harness. Leather harnesses crack unless oiled from time to time, but the rubber will not be so affected. The rubber is also waterproof and proof against attack by rust from the metal parts associated therewith.

Another feature to be noted is that the rub-. ber fabric has a greater tensile strength than leather; further, the strength of the rubber fabric is uniform throughout its length, while the strength of the leather varies from place to place.

It will be readily understood that the elements comprising the tugs or traces 19 are preferably made of heavier fabric than the other elements. In order that this may be done, these parts are manufactured from a single piece, strength being obtained by vulcanizing without stitching. It will be readily appreciated that the vulcanized rubber fabric is ahomogeneous material which is not as apt to come apart or break under tension as is leather.

In the present invention no laps will come unsewed and catch in other parts of the harness. There is no chance of ripping, because stitching is replaced by vulcanizing Where rips tend to occur.

I have found that the present invention is particularly adaptable to work harness. In such case when a leather harness is used, it is often necessary to use heel chains in order to attain the desired trace strength. With the present invention these harmful heel chains may be abolished and the full length trace substituted with no chain. at all yet at the same'time the full trace strength is attained.

In View of the above, itwill be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A rein comprising a strip of fabric, said fabric being completely enclosed in an envelope of vulcanized rubber, said rubber being vulcanized into said fabric whereby a homogeneous material is obtained.

2. A harness rein comprisin a fabric base in strip form, said fabric base being entirely covered with a layer of vulcanized rubber.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 30th day of July, 1929.

' ALBERT W. GODFREY. 

